Category: Governor

Gov. Jay Inslee signed the supplement budget Thursday, before taking questions from media. Here are some things he said: 1. Bertha crawls again. “We’re looking forward to continued movement,” Inslee said. “People have to understand, there’s going to have to be a lot of work on this machine to keep it operable … there’s a long ways…

The big Olympia news this week was that Republicans and Democrats in the state Senate came together on the beginnings for an agreement on a statewide transportation package. That and other doings: 1. State Senate transportation plan includes phasing in new gas tax. 2. Meanwhile, GOP senators introduce bill that would ban money for Bertha tunnel cost overruns. 3. Lawmaker called…

OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee held his weekly news conference with reporters Thursday and answered questions about union contracts, his proposal to curb carbon pollution, and, of course, the Seahawks. Here are some highlights: 1. Inslee said he had a “five corners” breakfast meeting with leaders of all four legislative caucuses Thursday morning and came away optimistic that Republicans and…

It’s State Treasurer Jim McIntire’s job to worry about the state’s credit rating and financial health. And McIntire, a Democrat, has concerns about Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposed 2015-17 budget proposal, which McIntire says sweeps too much out of the state’s “rainy-day” fund. In a letter to Inslee last week, McIntire said he opposed Inslee’s proposal…

With the first week of the legislative session in the bag, Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee held a news conference Friday morning to give his thoughts on guns, taxes, football and other issues. The highlights: 1. The governor said he supports legislation to provide a one-year “cooling off” period before elected officials and top-level government workers can…

OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay Inslee says Washington state has a moral obligation to address carbon pollution and used his State of the State address Tuesday to tout his recent proposal for a cap-and-trade program that requires the largest industrial polluters to pay for every ton of carbon they release. “We face many challenges, but it is…

With the state Legislature set to convene next week to grapple with a multi-billion-dollar budget shortfall, a new Elway Poll finds voters may be willing to accept tax increases as part of the solution. In a sign the state might finally be shaking off the Great Recession blues, the poll found that — for the first…

About this blog

Politics Northwest is the go-to blog for politics in our region. The blog explores national, state and local political news and issues. Reporters from Washington, D.C., to Seattle City Hall to the state capital in Olympia contribute. Editors are Richard Wagoner and Beth Kaiman.